Spring pressure means for drafting mechanisms



Oct 1956 J. R. WHITEHURST 2,756,437

SPRING PRESSURE MEANS FOR DRAFTING MECHANISMS Filed Sept. 23, 1952 .ToE R. WHITE'HURST, INVENTOR.

BY ar/54 ATTORNEYS United States Patent SPRIN G PRESSURE MEANS FOR DRAFTING MECHANISMS Joe R. Whitehurst, Bessemer City, N. C., assignor to Ideal Industries, Inc., Bessemer City, N. C., a corporation of North Carolina Application September 23, 1952, Serial No. 310,979

3 Claims. (Cl. 19-1359 This invention relates to means for applying pressure to the top rolls of drawing frames and the like. Heretofore, pressure applying means have largely been in the form of weights, as is shown in the patent to Mathewson No. 640,786 of January 9, 1900, or in the patent to Twedale et al. No. 575,558 of January 19, 1897, or in the patent to Albrecht No. 1,449,929 of March 27, 1923. These have beensubject to certain imperfections and are not easy to operate. It is thus an object of this invention to provide a fairly simple means for applying pressure to the top rolls and at the same time allow the top rolls to be raised by thick places or foreign matter carried in between the top and bottom rolls.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a leaf spring member disposed beneath the upper portion of the roll stand and disposed longitudinally of and in spaced relation to the bottom rolls with hook members engaging the top bearing block of the top roll and extending downwardly between the top and bottom rolls to a point adjacent the top of the roll stand where these members are provided with openings whichreceive the ends of a leaf spring for applying the proper pressure to the top rolls.

It is another object of this invention to provide a leaf spring disposed beneath the upper portion of the roll stand of a drawing frame and the like and projecting longitudinally of but in spaced relation below the bottom rolls and having its ends adapted to receive the perforated lower ends of hook members which pass upwardly between the rolls and engage the top sides of the bearing boxes or bearing assemblies which are disposed on the ends of the top rolls.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a spring assembly of the type described comprising a plurality of superposed flat spring members formed into an integral unit with the ends thereof slidably penetrating the lower ends of the hook members and the upper surface thereof engaging the lower surface of the upper portion of the roll stand for maintaining pressure on said hook members. Means are also provided for securing the spring assembly to the upper portion of the roll stand.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the junction point of two top rolls and showing the bearing means for the top and bottom rolls and showing the bearing boxes and the roll stand in section, and showing the leaf spring assembly in elevation;

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view taken along the line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevation of the spring assembly before it is placed into use;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the lines 4-4 in Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral indicates a conventional roll stand having a plurality of longitudinally extending slots 11 therein penetrated 'ice j by screws 12 which are threadably embedded in suitably threaded bores in the lower end of each of the bearing blocks 13. Mounted in these bearing blocks are a plurality of lower rolls 14 and a top roll 15 for each of the lower rolls 14, each of the top rolls resting on its associated lower roll. The proximate ends of the bottom roll are joined together by a suitable shaft 16 on which suitable roller bearings 17 are mounted, and each of the top rolls has a shaft 20 secured therein on which is mounted a suitable roller bearing 21. Lubricant is admitted to the lower bearings 17 by means of a lubricant fitting 23 mounted in the tubular housing 24 in which the bearings 17 are mounted.

Heretofore, suitable hooks or rods have been engaged over the housings 25 in which the bearings 21 are mounted, and these have extended downwardly between the rolls and had suitable weights or springs attached thereto. In the present instance, the housing 25 has a peripheral groove or a depression in its uppermost portion in which hooked portions 26 of suitable rods 27 are disposed. These rods 27 each have a hole 28 through their lower ends.

in mounting the bearing blocks 13 on the roll stand 10, there is first disposed beneath the bearing block and beneath the upper portion of the roll stand, for each of the sets of top and bottom rolls, a leaf spring assembly indicated broadly at 30. This leaf spring assembly has superposed relatively fiat portions 31 having a bore 32 therethrough which is penetrated by a bolt 12. This leaf spring assembly is made up of a plurality of leaves 33, 3d, and 35. Each end of the lowermost leaf 35 is narrowed as at 36, and this narrow portion extends through the hole 28 in the pressure rods 27. Normally, the spring assembly occupies the position shown in Figure 3, but when it is placed under stress by driving home a bolt 12 it occupies substantially the position shown in Figure 1. Now, when any foreign object or a relatively thick piece of fiber may pass between the set of top and bottom rolls, the spring assembly will flex upwardly and if the object is large enough it will flex the spring upwardly to where the lower ends of the rod 27 will snap oif the narrow ends 36 of the lowermost leaf spring 35 and thus prevent damage to the rolls by large foreign objects passing between the same.

It is thus seen that there has been provided a relatively simple means of applying pressure to the top rolls of a drawing frame and the like and which will quickly relieve the pressure when an undue amount of pressure may be exerted on the top rolls by the raising of the same by a foreign object or a thick place in the sliver passing between the rolls.

A drawing frame has three or more sets of top and bottom rolls, and aithough not shown in the drawings, a leaf spring assembly will be associated with each pair of top and bottom rolls.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for pur poses of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A drawing frame having top and bottom rolls, a roll stand and a plurality of bearing blocks spaced longitudinally of the roll stand, there being a bearing block for each set of top and bottom rolls and a bearing for one end of each of two axially-alined bottom rolls mounted in each of the bearing blocks and bearings for one end of each of two axially-alined to rolls mounted in each of the bearing blocks and resting on its associated bottom roll bearing, a screw for each bearing block loosely penetrating the roll stand and being threadably mounted in the bearing block for securing the bearing block to the roll stand, means for applying pressure to the top roll bearings for holding them in resilient engagement with the bottom roll bearing comprising a rod engaging each of the top roll bearings and extending downwardly and a laterally extending leaf spring mounted beneath the upper portion of the roll stand by means of said screw penetrating said leaf spring, said rods having openings in their lower ends and the leaf spring having reduced free ends each of which penetrates the opening in the adjacent rod.

2. A drawing frame having top and bottom rolls and a roll stand and a plurality of bearing blocks spaced longitudinally of the roll stand, there being a bearing block for each set of top and bottom rolls and a bottom roll bearing for one end of each of two aXially-alined bottom rolls mounted in each of the bearing blocks and top roll bearings for one end of each of two axially-alined top rolls mounted in each of the bearing blocks and resting on its associated bottom roll bearing, a screw for each bearing block loosely penetrating the roll stand and being threadably mounted in the bearing block for securing the bearing block to the roll stand, means for applying pressure to the top roll bearings for holding them in resilient engagement with the bottom roll bearing comprising a rod engaging each of the top roll bearings, said rods extending downwardly one on each side of the roll stand and a leaf spring mounted beneath each bearing block and beneath the upper portion of the roll stand and extending laterally of the roll stand and having reduced free ends, each end of the leaf spring loosely penetrating and releasably engaged with the lower end of a rod, and each of said leaf springs being penetrated by one of said screws.

3. In a drawing frame having top and bottom rolls and a roll stand and a plurality of bearing blocks spaced longitudinally of the roll stand and each secured to the upper surface of the roll stand by a screw loosely pene hating the roll stand and threadably engaging the lower portion of each bearing block, the bearing blocks each having mounted therein upper roll bearings for one end each of two axially-alined top rolls and lower roll bearings for one end each of two axially-alined bottom rolls, pressure rods, one rod engaging each of the bearings for the upper rolls and extending downwardly; improved pressure applying means comprising a laterally extending leaf spring secured beneath each bearing block and beneath the upper portion of the roll stand on which it rests by being penetrated by said screw and having its ends projecting outwardly on each side of the roll stand, the lower ends of the pressure rods having perforations therethrough and each of the ends of the leaf spring passing through the perforation in the adjacent pressure rods, whereby the spring may be quickly released upon movement of said rods to disengage the spring ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

